Chicken with Creamy Apple Cider Gravy

A one-skillet chicken supper, full-flavored chicken thighs cradled in a creamy gravy made with apple cider. Plus I share my favorite technique for pulling all the flavor from chicken skins without adding all the calories. It's brilliant if I may say so myself!

When we lose an old friend, we know the expressions of grief: we cry, we console, we deliver casseroles. But how should an old tree be mourned? Often, the gravestump remains, raw, harsh, ugly.

A Good Oak, 1892 – 2008
Here lie the roots of an old friend, an oak that shaded our lives in summer, dropped acorns for the squirrels, shed leaves to rake, cut craggly patterns into winter skies.

Gone but not Forgotten.

When I visit my family home in the north woods of Minnesota, I visit the trees, too. There’s the clump in whose V the neighbor girls crafted doll beds of crimson poppy petals. There’s the birch where family photographs were taken, recording new rings in both tree and children. After I cut a boy’s initials into the trunk of the poplar by the road, my forester father sat me down for a serious talk. “Trees are living beings,” he taught.

Kirkwood, Webster and all the 100 towns in my hometown of St. Louis are thick with trees. Flying into Lambert, a window seat gives evidence, vast tracts of green. Oaks and maples take a couple of generations to grow tall. A storm takes one down, or severs a limb, in seconds; a man with a chainsaw requires 15 minutes. Justice prevails it seems, when it takes the man and a chipper a day to remove the tree’s roots, its marker, its grave, but no, never, not its memory.

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CHICKEN In a large well-seasoned or non-stick skillet, heat butter and oil on medium heat until shimmery. Remove chicken skins, discarding all but one. Place the one skin and thighs top-side down in skillet (they should sizzle). Season with salt, pepper and sage, then let cook without moving for 5 minutes. Turn over, season, cook another 5 minutes. Cover and let cook for 30 minutes. With tongs, transfer thighs to a plate, keep warm.

LATER NOTES Last month a reader wrote to sing praises of a pork chop version of Chicken Sybil using apple cider for the liquid. She was surprised, however, when the cider flamed up when added to the hot skillet, just like a flambé. I've never had this happen, but just in case, you might turn off the fire before adding the cider. Thanks for the tip, Sally! This chicken is completely wonderful with fall's 'winter' squash like butternut, hubbard, acorn and more. In the photo is Acorn Squash Roasted Face Down but there are so many great ways to cook winter squash but here are My Favorite Winter Squash Recipes.

I wrote this column in 2007 when neighbors removed a small but healthy tree. And then in 2008, neighbors on the other side removed a healthy 100-year old oak tree. Some decisions, there's no understanding.

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Hmmm... does appear strange. Maybe they wanted more light to reach their house/lawn. Or maybe it was diseased. We had to take down a big maple a few years ago when we discovered (while trimming it up) that it was hollow down one side. We had no idea! Thankfully it hadn't fallen on our house or a car before we discovered this.

Cider gravey, huh? I've never heard of such a thing, but it does sound delicious.

Sally ~ No, it was a healthy tree. A sick tree I would mourn but understand. This tree was big, because this is an old neighborhood and before it had houses, it was a gold course. The city estimated it was 120+ years old.

Barb ~ Thank you for understanding. It's been four months since I watched it come down outside my office window, it still hurts to think about it.

I loved the story about the trees in your life as well as those around others. I will look forward to trying the Chicken with Creamy Cider Gravy; and I will also serve it with my special favorite, buttercup squash.

Hi, I just discovered your site, and wanted to tell how touched I was by your post about trees, and mourning the loss of special friend trees. I love your father - I taught my young daughter the same lesson, verbatim, about trees being living beings, very recently. In fact, I believe that all things in nature have consciousness. I wish more people understood that!

Hello from another tree hugger person! I just don't understand why people take down healthy trees when it takes them so long to grow! We have gentlemen taking out wood from trees that have fallen, but not healthy ones.

I live in the country and like having some screening between me and my prolifically building (realtor) and new neighbors. What was once a clean field is now going to house 14 houses total in the field to my direct north, less than a football field away from my bathroom/bedroom window. Grrrrr. Had I known that field was up for sale, hubby and I would have bought it. The road is literally less than a football field, about half of one, from our bedroom window. I hate curtains.

Goodbye big beautiful tree. You were probably around long before any of us. It's a little sad/funny but around here people love to pay money to have their trees topped(think broccoli after all the green florets have been cut off and you are left with the stubby stalk).As soon as they do this the tree becomes a dying tree open to attack from insects and disease. Then soon as there is a wind storm or ice storm its these trees that break off(large chunks) and fall onto the road or onto houses. The very thing I think these people are trying to avoid. You never see any of the untouched and tallest of trees just lose their limbs like that. But anyhow cider gravy sounds really interesting I'm going to have a try with it

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna